The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Bremelanotide (to be marketed as Vyleesi) is used on-demand. Bremelanotide is a peptide [...]
Both men and women produce testosterone. The big difference is that the levels are much lower in women, around 15 to 40 ng/dL. In women, testosterone levels begin to decline gradually after the age of 20. In postmenopausal women, testosterone levels are between 0 and 20 ng/dL. Various symptoms have been attributed to falling levels of testosterone in midlife women, including lower sex drive, decreased muscle mass and bone density, decline in cognitive functioning, and depression. Some refer to this constellation of symptoms as “female androgen insufficiency syndrome”; others debate the clinical validity of this diagnosis in women.
Sexual side effects may occur in 40% to 70% of patients treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and is a common reason for poor compliance with treatment and eventual discontinuation. When sexual side effects occur, they tend to emerge early, are persistent, and rarely resolve spontaneously. A new study, reviewed in Medscape, suggests that exercise may help to reduce sexual side effects:
While some side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants tend to decrease or resolve over time, other side effects such as sexual dysfunction rarely remit spontaneously. Treatment of sexual side effects in women is especially important when about 30-70% of patients taking antidepressants may experience sexual side effects, combined with the fact that women are prescribed antidepressants at rates of 2 to 1 when compared to men.
A recent article published in Psychiatric Times reviews options for the management of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction. According to this review, sexual side effects may occur in 40% to 70% of patients treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and is a common reason for poor compliance with treatment and eventual discontinuation. When sexual side effects occur, they tend to emerge early, are persistent, and rarely resolve spontaneously.
